


Olivia

by Lotus_Dumplings



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: And i sorta imagined trans Gil, Autism Spectrum, Autistic Sweden is implied, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Maybe - Freeform, Trans Character, Trans Male Character, also uh, ame - Freeform, and chiara, i think, idk - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-18
Updated: 2019-05-18
Packaged: 2020-03-07 04:44:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18865969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lotus_Dumplings/pseuds/Lotus_Dumplings
Summary: "Are you listening to ABBA?" Olivia's laughter rang through the room. His Farmor must've let her in. His face heated in embarrassment. "Hey, don't worry, big guy. I won't tell anyone." Olivia winked, and—confusing him a great deal—Berwald felt his heart pound in his chest.





	Olivia

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Moondust (ASilentVoice42)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ASilentVoice42/gifts).



> Farfar means grandfather (father's father).  
> Farmor means grandmother (father's mother).  
> That's the only Swedish I swear XD.  
> Also I tried but I'm not sure I delivered oof. Have fun!

Berwald had known Olivia since he was young. Back then, you could hardly tell Olivia was a girl without knowing her name. She always begged her parents to cut her hair short, and when they didn't, she styled it up with a disastrous amount of hair gel. She loved soccer and had always worn her cherished red jersey with shorts. She was messy and rowdy and overall just boyish. 

Maybe that's why no one minded letting her hang out with them. She wasn't like other girls older than Berwald, who poked his cheeks and called him little and cute. No, Olivia wasn't like that. She was much more annoying.

She kicked dirt at him and laughed too loud and picked up beetles. But she was friends with Tino and Lukas—Berwald's only friends—so he had to deal with her. She didn't have many friends, either. 

Even so, Olivia had her many surprises. Like whenever Lukas had to watch his little brother, Emil, she spoke to him with an almost foreign gentleness. She was the only one allowed to touch him in the end. Or like her incredible ability to listen just as much as she could ramble (even if he sometimes wished she'd do that more and give his ears a break). Berwald didn't really know her all that much, but he could appreciate those small things.

Then everything changed. Lukas and Emil's mom got a new job far away, and Tino went to live with his cousin in Europe. And that fast, Olivia and Berwald were left alone without their closest friends. 

It's likely that, had they never had mutual friends, they wouldn't have even known each other's names. Olivia was too loud, too immature. But they stuck together anyway. Berwald needed the familiarity and Olivia needed a friend. It was almost like some twisted, childish peace treaty. 

Despite this, Berwald didn't really mind it. Olivia could talk enough for the both of them, and all he had to do was try his best to listen and nod. He wasn't really the best with social situations, but she didn't seem to mind either. It fell into a sort of routine for them. Of course it was only a matter of time before Olivia broke it.

Over the years, Berwald had discovered an interest in woodworking. His Farfar had taught him about it when he came to visit, and he had started working on his own time in the garage. His grandparents even bought him tools for his twelfth birthday. One day, he sat in the garage, listening to his Farmor's old records and tapping his pencil to his desk, trying to finish his blueprints for a desk when he heard a shriek of laughter from the door. He quickly straightened in his chair, dropping his things in the process. 

"Are you listening to ABBA?" Olivia's laughter rang through the room. His Farmor must've let her in. His face heated in embarrassment. "Hey, don't worry, big guy. I won't tell anyone." Olivia winked, and—confusing him a great deal—Berwald felt his heart pound in his chest. 

Olivia stopped by whenever she could after that. Berwald worked while Olivia played with the record player. She tried to get him to dance with her occasionally, mostly whenever Dancing Queen sounded from the speakers, but she mostly asked questions. And, to their surprise, Berwald was almost eager to answer them. Whether it be about the tools, his designs, or the wood itself, he found that he could actually talk about it, and Olivia was more than okay with listening.

Once he was sure she wouldn't break his tools, he let her work with him. They made a bookshelf together, and after realizing about how happy Olivia had been afterward, Berwald kept it. Her face brightened when she saw it in the corner the next time she came by, his old sketch pads and blueprints placed delicately on the shelves. 

Despite her unpredictable nature, Olivia became a constant. She stopped picking on him and kicking dirt, but she would always laugh too loud and blow sawdust at him and take the beetles outside. She would always wear baggy outfits and gel up her hair and grin at him—and that was no longer annoying but very much welcomed. She would always spin in the swivel chair and yell ABBA lyrics and talk when Berwald could not and be so dreadfully annoying that it made his heart slam painfully against his chest. She was a constant when Berwald, himself, could not be.

Berwald grew taller by the time they got to highschool. He was much taller than most boys his age at this point, and his voice had dropped almost overnight (which Olivia laughed about for days). His grades in everything except for woodshop seemed to waver dramatically and he couldn't seem to speak or hold eye contact with anyone outside of his grandparents and Olivia. But this one rowdy, uncontrollable girl could steady him. She could make him laugh and smile ever so slightly. 

It seemed so backwards.

Olivia was growing into quite the extravert. She made friends with the new kid, Gilbert, and the class representative, Amelia. She talked about them a lot. "Gilbert's less antisocial than he seems," or "Amelia's got a twin brother, apparently." Berwald listened, because at least he got to see a part of Olivia they didn't. 

She didn't come by one day. She texted later, saying Chiara had invited her to the movies. Berwald couldn't get anything done that night. 

She didn't sit with him at lunch anymore, either. She waved from across the lunchroom before talking with her friends some more. Berwald waved back every time, but finds it gets harder to look her in the eyes. She stopped waving at some point. She didn't look quite the same. Her smile looked different. 

Berwald couldn't understand. He couldn't understand why it hurt in the pit of his stomach or why tears pricked at his eyes whenever he played Waterloo one night or why Olivia stopped smiling altogether. It didn't make sense. 

Berwald jumped when Olivia busted through the garage door, breathing heavily. She didn't speak for awhile. He pushed his glasses up his nose. He just wanted to grab her before he lost her, but he can't even bring himself to look her in the eye. She spoke without warning. 

"I'm a boy." 

And just like that, the door slammed again, leaving Berwald alone. Farmor asked if he's okay. He nodded, not knowing how else he could respond. She asked what happened. He didn't answer.

He thought hard on it later. Olivia (though he really wasn't sure if that was the appropriate name) was a boy. It actually wasn't that hard to believe. She—or he, he supposed—never really seemed all that much like a girl. Okay, so that was under control. 

Next, did Berwald care? He focused on his feelings and found that, no, he did not. He just wanted him back. With his mind made up, he picked up his phone and looked for the contact. He took a deep breath before clicking send.

_I don't care._

He ran a hand through his hair. Okay, so maybe that was a bit too vague.

_I care about you._

His only reply is _Mathias_ , and he's surprised when he knows what it means.

_I care about you, Mathias._

Mathias came by again after that. Not everyday, he still had other friends and obligations, but Berwald was fine with that. It felt less lonely being alone, because he knew Mathias would come back sooner or later. Plus, a little peace and quiet has always been a bit underrated. 

Mathias said later, "It's like a weight has been lifted," and it took Berwald a moment to understand before agreeing.

After all of that, he finds Mathias still spins on the swivel chair and laughs too loud and smiles brighter than any sun. He finds he still makes his heart slam against his chest—though now it's definitely a lot less painful. He finds that he's more than willing to give into his dumbass pleas to dance and surprisingly quick to forgive him for teasing.

As weird as it seems, he finds he's content with it. He's content with Mathias. His bad scream singing of Gimme a Man After Midnight, his hasty woodworking, his gelled hair, and his smile. 

And his lips against his own. Mamma Mia plays in the background and despite the pounding sound in his ears he pulls back to see Mathias' sheepish grin. He laughs, and Berwald can't stop himself from smiling just a little.


End file.
